April 23, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

“There is a danger of a split in society”

Debates and discussions about mandatory vaccination are splitting the European Union, political analysts say.

Against the background of an increase in the number of infected, vaccination campaigns in the European Union are stalling. Governments are encouraging and arguing for vaccinations to be vaccinated. The “carrot and stick” methods constantly intersect, and sometimes it is difficult to figure out where the reward and where the punishment is.

More and more proof of absence of covid is required to visit restaurants and bars, but this is rather a reward for those who have already been vaccinated. But the obligatory vaccinations for some professions is gradually gaining momentum. In some EU countries, all healthcare professionals must be vaccinated, including in Greece

Italy, for example, back in March of this year introduced mandatory vaccination against coronavirus for medical personnel, this is enshrined at the legislative level. Failure to comply can lead to transfer to a position where there is no contact with people, or to suspension from work without pay.

A similar measure is not far off in France. Emmanuel Macron announced mandatory vaccinations for service and healthcare workers. The time allotted for this is until September 15th. Those who do not fulfill the requirement will be dismissed from their posts and deprived of their wages.

For a long time, European countries hoped for voluntary vaccination. Today it is already clear that the ambitious goal set – to fully vaccinate 60% of the population by the end of summer – is simply unattainable. By mid-July, less than 44% of French people, for example, are fully vaccinated, which is below the level of other neighboring countries.

So what is mandatory vaccination? Sissi Katsoni, an expert on European law at the University of Bochum, Germany, is confident that this may violate human rights:

“Mandatory COVID vaccinations are permitted by the European Court of Human Rights when introduced openly, and not under the guise of punishment or protective measures. What falls into all of these categories is difficult to tell one from the other. “

Today, France, Austria, Denmark and Greece are required to present a coded certificate to enter public places or to events. Compulsory vaccination of health workers is introduced in France, Greece, Italy, Great Britain. True, the latter can also afford a more liberal regime – almost everyone who wanted to get vaccinated has already done so.

Euronews reporters walked the streets of Brussels, asking ordinary passers-by about how they feel about compulsory vaccinations. Opinions were mixed:

“By not allowing people to enter bars, you are infringing on their human right to drink in the bar. I don’t think this is good. It would be better to explain to people that it is not bad. For example, the vaccines are not bad. “

“I do not agree with the mandatory vaccination. In my opinion, people should decide for themselves whether they need injections. I am in favor of vaccinations, but I think it would be counterproductive to get people to get vaccinated. “

Political scientist Vincent Laborderie from Belgium emphasizes that the authorities return freedom of movement and access to other benefits only to the vaccinated. But there is a category of citizens who, for example, cannot get vaccinated either for financial reasons or for health reasons:

“In addition to discrimination against the unvaccinated, there is discrimination against the poor, because this category is less vaccinated today, and it suffers more from all these measures. There are also inequalities between young and old. In my opinion, there is a danger of a split in society. “





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